Submarine tractor.



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SUBMARINE TRACTOR.

APPLICATION man suma 1,1911.

gmiy Patented Apr. 22, i919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

@WM MW tinten entras ramener onirica ALBERT JAMES, 0F EUREKA, CALIFBANIA.

SUBMRINE T i cron.l

Leonesa.

Specification of Letters Patent.

rat-antec apr.. ae, rara.

llpplication led June 7, 1917. Serial 1t' o. 173,41-12.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that 1, ALBERT JAMES, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Eureka,

in the county ofl-lumboldt and State'of California, have invented new and useful lm rovements in Submarine Tractors, of

which the following is a specication.

rllhis invention relates to a submarine tractor.l v

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a simple,- substantial,

under-sea tractor designed to travel on the bottom of the sea and capable of withstanding high external pressure. Another object of the invention is to provide grousers 0fclaimed, having reference to the accompany- I ing` drawings, 1n Whichigure 1 is a side elevation of the tractor.

Fig. 2 is a broken away.

Referring to the drawings in detail, A indicates a hull suitably wrapped and sheeted with steel of sufficient thickness and strength vto withstand comparatively .high exterior water ressure, and at the same time being of su cient size to laccommodate an operator and a number of passengers, if deslred.'

The hull is otherwise provided with a conning tower 2, a manhole 3 and a periscope Ll of standard construction, whichmay be elevated so that the operator 'can observe the surrounding surface conditions, when necessary. The hull proper is in this instance supported by a pair of tractors of the self-laying track type. These tractorsare independently driven by shafts 5 and 6,

is rovidedwith a driving sprocket 7 over .which the endless track passes and is propelled, the remaining portion of the track' being supported upon a front idler 8 and intermediate supporting idlers 9.

Each tractor may be resiliently mounted,-

if desired, but as the particular construcpla-n view of same, partly s pose of' conveyin tionvand mounting of the tractors do not form any important feature of the present invention, l wish it understood that variations in the construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. u

'Turnably mounted on each driving shaft, within the hull', is a large driving gear 8 which is 'directly drivenl from an electric `motor 9 through pinions 10, and formed interiorly of each gear is a cone face which is adapted to coperate with a cone clutch 11 keyed butsli-dably mounted upon the shaft, there being one cone clutchv on each shaft. Each -independent driving shaft is otherwise supported -in suitable bearings,

such as shown vat 12 and 13, and they may,

therefore, be driven in unison or independ" ently of each other. The current supply for the motor may be secured from two different sources, for instance, a suitable quantity of storage batteriesmay be carried Within the hull'or an insulated trailing Vcable 14 may .be employed through which the current passes.

The under-sea tractor constructed as here shown may be employed for a great variety of purposes. v'lt may, for instance,becar ried upon a ship and under such conditions will be provided with two or more ring' bolts, as shown at 16, to permit it to be lifted by means of derricks over the side and then, lowered to the bottom of the sea. lf the ship carrying the tractoris equipped with electric generators, it is obvious that a trailing cable 14,;such as shown, may be prov1 ed, thus permitting the current for the drivingmotor 9 to be supplied directly from the ship. The tractor thus propelled may be directed shoreward, ifthe vesselis stranded has not struck with suilicient forcewhen the tide is rising, yit -will in some instances be.

possible to attach a towing'cable to the tractor which may then be directed seaward to haul the ship ed.' l

respectively, extending through stuiin.A

boxes in the sides of the hull, and each shaft rllhe tractor may also be used for the purpeople to and from a stranded ship, an it may,4 also be employed 'for mine layingin times of war-and for discharging explosive bombs, torpedoes, and the like. It may also lbe used for general exploration of the sea bottom for the purpose of mapping, laying contours, and many other purposes and may also be used in connection' with the salvaging of wrecks, particularly Such as are sunk in comparatively deep water.

In traveling over the sea bottoni, it can readily be seen that one operator alone can easily handle and steer the tractor. For instance, if it is desired to turn or steer the same it will only be necessary to throw out one clutch while the other is driving. This will permit one endless track to run idle while the other is driving. This permits it to turn any distance desired or in any direction, and as the motor employed is reversible, it is obvious that it can be reversed when necessary. The placing of the driving machinery in the bottom of the hull, together with the storage batteries and the like and also the positioning of the endless tractors below on cach side of the hull, gives the.

tractor great stability.

The flukes, shown at 17, are preferably secured to the grousers of the tracks to increase the tractive force or pull particularly when a sandy bottom formation is encounteied. `This is of considerable importance where a vessel strands on a sandy beach, as the pull thus presented may often prove sufficient to release the vessel.

Formed in the rear end of the hull is a chamber 18 which is separated from the main interior by a bulk-head 19. Extending through the chamber and journals formed in each side is a shaft 20, which carries a pair of trailin spuds 21. These spuds may be raised or `owered with relation tothe bottom by means of a worm gear 22 secured onl the shaft which is operated from theY main chamber by a hand-crank 23 and a shaft 24.

This shaft passes through a stuing box inl the bulk-head as the chamber 18 may be filled with water. v

The provision of the trailing spuds 21 is of great importance where the tractor is vused as a crawling anchor. For instance,

after leaving a ship and proceeding a certain distance it is possible to drop the spuds and reverse the tractor so as to force the spuds thoroughly in the bottom. The 'ship may then haul on the attached cable by means of its own Winches or capstan and an enormously reater pull can in this manner be exerted t an when the tractor is held to the bottom by the lukes 17 only. A winding drum 25 may also be provided which is driven through the gears 26 from a motor 27. This drum may carr the power cable and also a pulling cable, if desired, in this Inanner permitting the cables to be paid out or rewound as the tractor is traveling.

While a single driving motor is here shown, it is obvious that two may be employed2 one for each shaft. This may in some instances be preferable as it will eliminate the use of clutches. Other chan es may also be made in the construction throughout and such attachments, as compressed air tanks, from which air is automatically. released to supply the operator and passengers, may also be employed although not specifically shown.

The materials and finish of the several parts of the machine are such as the experience and judgment of the manufacturer may dictate.

means for driving said tractors, spuds or flukes carried by the tractor adapted to be lowered to anchor the tractor to permit the tractor to be used as a crawling anchor, means for carrying ahawser rto be attached to a ship, and means for paying out or haulingin `on the hawser when the tractor is operating. i

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set tti my hand inthe presence of two subscribing te witnesses.4

1 ALBERT JAMES.

Witnesses:

W. B. STRONG, H. C. NELsoN. 

